Thoughts on the Bb. Pilipinas Winner

Okay, so she came from a humble background and she isn't fluent in speaking English. So, why shouldn't people just leave her alone? Because a humble background isn't an excuse to make a booboo that big!

So now, the net is full of her infamous question-and-answer video with people both bashing her and supporting her. Should he have won? Here are my thoughts:

1. Yes, people are saying it's not an English fluency competition. But, come on! She didn't even answer the question! Nerves? Not an excuse! She said she was confident. I didn't see any of that. I think she should have just spoken in Tagalog. She would have been more comfortable and would have been able to express herself better. For heaven's sake, it's Bb. Pilipinas, not Miss America!

2. So what if she's 17? She seems to be making a big deal of her age. At 17 (and even younger), anyone can answer a simple question. Not an excuse!

3. It is important that we are represented by a good English speaker. We are competing with India in the callcenter industry. At the moment, it's helping a lot with our economy. We pride ourselves in being able to communicate fluently with foreign clients. All of a sudden our representative talks about being in the 'Taf Ten.' If I were an investor, I'll definitely go to India. There goes the callcenter industry. Then, there goes our economy.

4. What were the judges thinking? If this competition was "Luto," at least make sure the winner looks and sounds like she deserved it. If anyone is to blame, it would be the judges. I'm sensing a conspiracy here. Let's see who the judges are, shall we?
- Quezon City Mayor Sonny Belmonte (why him? what does he know about pageants?)
- US Ambassador Kristie Kenney (Hm... maybe getting a foreigner isn't such a good idea)
- Japanese Ambasador Makoto Katsura
- Philippine Ambassador to Spain Joseph Bernardo
- United Breweries Group Chairman Vijay Mallya
- Chateau Petrus's Jean Moueix
- Entrepreneurs School of Asia founder Vivienne Tan
(she asked the infamous question, she should have done something about it!)
- Sofitel President Oscar Salvacion
(he seems like a smart guy, I thought he'd put more importance in brains)
- Marian Rivera
(perfect! if anyone knows anything about brains and beauty, it's actors! *note the sarcasm here*)
- Dennis Trillo
- Chris Tiu
Okay, so where are the former beauty queens? They should know a lot about pageants and what it takes to represent the country. Also, why the foreigners? As if they know what the true embodiment of a Filipina is.

*sigh* What is our country coming to? Politics already stinks. Now, our pageants are starting to smell as well. If it's any consolation to Ms. San Miguel, I saw her in an interview last night on TV. She seems like a nice girl, not ashamed of her humble origins. She also seems to be taking all these comments quite well. I can only hope she stays strong.

I think Rufa Gutierrez gave some good advice to Ms. San Miguel. She said that since the Ms. World pageant is still 7 months away, Ms. San Miguel should use that time to improve herself with voice coaches and ways to make her more confident. Coming from a former beauty queen, this advice should not be ignored. She knows what she's talking about.